Your personal workflow

[3nigma2013]

So, I recently started producing electronic music. Dubstep, IDM, and the likes. Haven't really made a FULL track yet, mostly just been experimenting and creating things under 2 minutes.
My question to all who dabble in this arena, what is your workflow like?
I'm having a hard time figuring out my own. Usually, I make a few presets in a select number of synthesizers and jot down some music ideas with them, and basically pattern them up in my sequencer's 'arrangement' or 'playlist view' to link them as a song.
My problem is this. I can hear an awesome track in my head, like just the craziest music ever, but when it comes time to squeeze it out of my brain I usually lose the initial idea because of the nasty business of making presets, which, as some of you know, can take HOURS for just ONE synth sound.
Also, some artist interviews I've read have stated that they make ALL the presets before they even begin to compose. To me, that seems very smart, but at the same time I don't really understand how exactly that plays out because... Well, the nature of electronic music is very abstract. Creating dozens of sounds and having them fit to a coherent idea seems strange to me rather than making presets as you go along in the song with whatever inspirations and motivations you come up with during the process.

TLDR; What's your production process look like? Do you start with sound design or composition first?

[blinx]

I use a template and it has helped a bunch. Ever new track i start already has my goto everything loaded up and waiting to be messed with. Ill sequence a beat and the rest of the songs will fall into place.

Usually i do my preset making in a seperate session and when i want to write a track i dont bother with synthesis, just writing melodies and the other stuff. I can swap presets later if they relaly need to be played with.

[twilitez]

I dont really have a workflow, but sometimes when i make something decent, i have 'the flow'. I tried for a while but set in stone channel/ bus templates dont work for me at all. Sometimes you want a general drumbus, sometimes you dont. Sometimes you want to put your hats into that, sometimes you dont, sometimes you want to parallel compress, sometimes you dont. Im rambling but maybe you get my drift.

[Sharmaji]

for me, song 1st, sound design 2nd. the key is to get as much of the basic idea down 1st, and then go in and sculpt it into something really specific.

if you make a ton of presets that you like, save them in an easily-accessible bank for the synth in question.

load up your template with all the basic labels, instruments, sends, sidechain bits etc. that you find yourself using-- even add a generic drumloop so that you don't have to fish around for that stuff when you're ready to go maybe even have 3 different drum loops.

i tend to start my projects at bar 17 incase an intro idea comes up during the session.

once you have a good idea, bounce it to audio and mute the midi-- keep moving forward.

save it with a new title (songX.day.month.year.01, etc) every time you make a big change so that you have easily-referenced points to go back to.

[dickman69]

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[drooka]

templates are amazing, allows you to get right down to business. also on the tip of creating sounds separately from writing your tunes it can be very helpful. there was a thread around here a while back about how creating synths and mixdowns are right brained and the actual writing of a tune is more left brained so it makes sense to segment the two to an extent. what i find helps me sometimes to keep things coherent is to get a 64 bar beat going and get the general arrangement down and once you are happy there, go and synthesize a few sounds (or dig through your presets). then youve got a basis for a tune going, plug your synths in and begin to automate/modulate and the like. get your 64 bar loop sounding pretty tight and then build from there, making sure to take some breaks in between to keep your perspective fresh

[fiveone]

My problem is this....the nasty business of making presets, which, as some of you know, can take HOURS for just ONE synth sound...

why is it a problem? if it takes you hours to make a similar synth sound to the one in yr head then you should at least ask questions on here/other production forums. or be creative and use that not so perfect sound to your advantage. apply effects such as delay, filters, panning etc - this can make all the difference sometimes. i have quite a few synths that sound like a lorry being put through a cheese grater but it's all about your imagination (and experience)

some artist interviews I've read have stated that they make ALL the presets before they even begin to compose. To me, that seems very smart, but at the same time I don't really understand how exactly that plays out because... Well, the nature of electronic music is very abstract.

who?

Creating dozens of sounds and having them fit to a coherent idea seems strange to me rather than making presets as you go along in the song with whatever inspirations and motivations you come up with during the process.

/thread

i shouldn't really be the one to say it since im still learning production techniques, but it's really irking me with the amount of threads that have recently cropped up with people thinking there's a singular answer to dubstep/production/composing/mix downs. ive been learning my DAW (fl studio) and multiple vsts included with it on & off for 3/4 years - and I'm only just getting into recording my own sounds. im no professional or anything but shit, this is like taking a new course at college that learning is ongoing from the moment you start. everything takes time, and you'll only learn best if you go at it by yrself and create music that YOU like.
one major thing about production that I learned to appreciate? there isn't a fast track option to making decent tunes

my work flow?

- pick ur drum samples
- sequence
- your loop is shit and boring.
- add more drum samples. fuck with them/pan/volume
- bassline (a plain sub so you've got basic movement in ur track
- your loop sounds like shit again, adapt the drums or bassline so they flow naturally with each other
- what mood is your loop? moody? dark? upbeat?
- start with a plain synth. octave down, low pass and fm is a basic start i guess.
- build ups/breaks/variations
- samples
- mix down
- edits/bounce/playback
- mix down again
- playback in car/friends systems/work
- make notes and edit/mix down again.

i hope i didn't come across as really arrogant but that was my few pennies

[123kidd]

I agree with Sharmaji. Starting out, barely having any music theory knowledge, I would design a sound, get it how I wanted it sounding but then didn't know where I wanted it to go. As was stated above, its much easier to get your melodies and chord progressions and such down, then pick the sounds that best fit the vibe of the tune.
Some one posted some time ago, about how they just use a piano,simple saw for bass and sine for sub which is the kind of mentality i've learned to adopt. That being said, I do have a template already set up as well. Cuts down the time in the tune making process.

[fragments]

Creating dozens of sounds and having them fit to a coherent idea seems strange to me rather than making presets as you go along in the song with whatever inspirations and motivations you come up with during the process.

TLDR; What's your production process look like? Do you start with sound design or composition first?

Then do it the way that makes sense to you. Why struggle with a process that isn't working for you? I make sounds as I need them. Unless you are making cookie cutter dance tracks, I can't see designing a patch outside the context of a song. I try to do as little sound design as possible until arrangement/composition are done. I don't even save presets (I mean they are kinda saved in the project files).

[CYRHEN]

Here's a quick look into my workflow..

I start with a lead and get down a 16 bar melody, then I add in some pads and sub bass.
The sub bass follows some of the lead melody and maybe some of the pad as well.

Then I'll add my drums which include kick, snare, cl hat, op hat, sometimes a bit of percussion.
Then I'll work on the intro then build the intro into the chorus which is that 16 bar melody.

From there after the 16 bar melody I will add like 8 - 16 bars of a build up towards the verse or drop so to speak..

Then the drop will be A B A as in..A is 1st part b is second part and a can be the first part repeated..

Then then like a 8 bar half time which is just my main melody with minimal drums and some bass bits from the drop..

Intro Build Up A B A Break or Halftime A B A Breakdown Outro

And after I get a solid structure I start EQ'ing, Compressing, Saturating and just mixing in general then you can go back and add riser effects reverse cymbals fills fx etc!

[Ledger]

I used to try to find my workflow, and that's what made me hate to make music. I really hated it. But now, I've gotten to where my workflow is lay down a rhythm with a drum sampler through MIDI, say... 16-32 bars long, and just loop it in FL to listen to get ideas for synths. Once I start on the synths, I just throw in a 4 bar loop, or 8 bar loop (varies from types of synths) and mess with it till I get something I like, bounce it down to audio, resample it a few times, chop it up, make a melody with the chopped audio, and BAM! And I'll continuously do that till I'm done with synthesis, and right before I get to the mixdown, I start making atmospheres, and adding FX here and there. It helps me stay organized and get through the song much easier.

Edit: Also, considering I have OCD, everything that occurs rhythmically, has to at least be 4 bars. Can be a pain at times, but a little easier to manage. Such as fills for DnB. I will never be able to lay down a fill anywhere other than every 8, 16, or 32 bars. It's impossible for me.